Have you already checked out the Easy Expat guide to France (http://www.easyexpat.com/en/paris.htm)? It is focused on Paris, but offers a lot of general tips about moving to France. It has info on french language classes, how & where to rent an apartment, etc.

 

I'm an American, long time resident of France, and just moved to Lyon. Great city!

Sharing a flat in France is called colocation. It was unheard of a few years ago, but now has become fairly commonplace. *The* place to go is http://www.colocation.fr/ Voila!

As for learning French, my wife -- a former professor of French literature here in France (she's French) -- does tutoring now. She's young, fun, and very very good. I've met a whole lot of French people, and none of them know the ins and outs of the language like she does. Also, she's great because she makes learning it interesting by giving you all kinds of cultural content in the mix, tailored to whatever interests you.

In fact, you don't have to wait until you arrive since she even offers her services via telephone and email. I'll see if I can send you her email address directly. (I don't want to put it here as that can easily result in spam.)

Do get in touch when you land here! We can go have a beer. And who knows, down the road you might be able to help me make some inroads at Interpol.

Cheers,
Chris